Duino Things to Do

Old castle is situated on a high rock, overlooking Adriatic on the one side and the Furlania Lowlands on the other side.
Old Castello di Duino, dated back to the 11 th century, and nowadays, only ruins remind on the times, passed long long ago.

A splendid inner court (see the photo) with the well on one side, is the ideal setting for a chamber music festival.
Behind the well, a staircase leads up to the top of the watch tower. It is worth of any effort - panoramic view is magnificent.

Interior of the castle is breathing with culture and history. offering on display, paintings, letters, coins, library, and much more.
On the photo, you can see the letter which the present Queen of Great Britain - Elisabeth II wrote far - off 1958.

Photo of the Castello di Duino taken from the inner side.
Since it was opened to the public again, in 2003, I believe, many people, being nearby, make a halt and visit this beautiful castle. It absolutely deserves to stop off.

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Duino Castle, locally known as Castello di Duino, lies in the little coastal town of the same name. Built on a promontory overhanging the sea, the building is a collage of different architectural styles in a stunning setting. It is surrounded by a magnificent park, which is an overwhelming sea of flowers if you visit in the right season.

Over the years the castle has hosted a lot of very renowned guests such as Johann Strauss and Franz Liszt, the Habsburg Archduke Maximillian, Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, Mark Twain, the Italian poets Dante Alighieri and Gabriele D'Annunzio, and in 1912 Rainer Maria Rilke wrote one of his most important poems, the Duino Elegies, here.

During World War II the castle was used by the Germans who, in 1943, constructed a bunker in the rocks next to the castle to defend the nearby naval base of Sistiana to a possible Allied attack. After the war the British used the bunker as a fuel store. This bunker can be visited and houses a small museum.

The castle is open for guided visits and is also a wonderful location for events. It has been open to the public since July 2003. Summer opening time (April - October) is 9:30 - 17:30 (closed on Tuesday) and winter opening time (until the end of March) 9:30 - 16:00 (closed on Tuesday); admission is 7 euros.

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Stretched between sea and sky, and backed by a thick pine tree wood, the path inspired the Prage-born poet Rainer Maria Rilke, who spent several months in Duino Castle (from 1911 to 1912), to write his Duino Elegies, which is why the path is named after him. The story goes that one stormy winter morning Rilke was walking down the path, as the waves of the Adriatic loudly crashed against the cliffs, when he heard a voice. He turned around but could see no one. Those mysterious words floating in the air became the beginning of the first of his Elegies:

"Who, if I cried out, would hear me among the Angelic Orders? And what if one of them would suddenly take me to his heart: I would fade away in his stronger presence. Because beauty is nothing else but the beginning of terror."

The path starts on the outskirts of Duino and ends opposite the offices of AIAT (the local tourist board) in Sistiana. It runs along the sheer rocky cliff, giving a chance to climb the rocks and see the stunning landscape below. The panoramic trail stretches for about 2 km and has several lookouts. The view is breathtaking. The green colour of the vegetation and white of the Karst landscape blend naturally with the blue of the Adriatic sea.

For further information call the tourist board on 0432 734 100.

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Wedged between the majestic cliffs of Duino near the sea (now a regional nature reserve) dominated by Castello di Duino, the picturesque beach and the famous Karst plateau, Baia di Sistiana (Sistiana Bay) is the only bay of the coast of Province of Trieste. It's a place of tradition and the ancient history. The charming scenery of the bay attracted Austrian aristocracy since the beginning of the century. They used to spend the summer and autumn months combining baths in the sea with baths in the nearby Roman thermal waters of Monfalcone.

The clear water of the sea and the wonderful natural surroundings make Baia di Sistiana an interesting destination for local tourism, the lover of the sea and diving enthusiasts. There are many trails and routes which can be toured by foot or by bike. Particularly fascinating to visit are the two castles of Miramare and Duino, which are plunged into a magnificent panorama, and Grotta Gigante, the largest cave visited by tourists in the world. Baia di Sistiana can be a starting point to discover the treasures of the Adriatic seaside.

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It was my fourth or fifth attempt to visit the castle of Duino, which is situated about 20km northwest of Trieste in direction of Venice. My idea was to stay over night in Duino in order to visit it first thing in the morning. Unfortunatelly I missed it again. The castle of Duino is private property and therefore, no metter to opening hours, one can visit it in organized groups only. Individual visit, as locals told me, is possible during the summer season.